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Smitherman Government to Fulfill Promise
Newborn Screening for Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia to Start Today

Union, NJ, USA, May 14, 2007 -- Fulfilling a promise made over a year ago, Ontario is set to begin screening all newborn infants for Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH) today. The lives of nearly a dozen additional babies will be saved every year in Ontario due to this expansion.

"This is a great victory for Ontario and its children," said Kelly Leight, executive director of the CARES Foundation, a non-profit, international organization dedicated to improving the lives of families and patients affected by CAH.

An inherited disorder affecting the adrenal gland, undetected CAH results in life-threatening imbalances in salt and hormone levels. An autosomal recessive disease, both parents are carriers but there is rarely any family history to indicate potential for inheritance. A silent killer, CAH-affected newborns frequently show no outward signs of the disorder and are sent home only to present a few weeks later for urgent medical attention at a time when they are beyond resuscitation.

"On the other hand, if CAH-affected children are detected before adrenal crisis, they simply are placed on proper medications and can expect to live normal, full lives," explains Leight.

Today's action by Ontario will save these babies from dying unnecessarily or suffering mental retardation and severe disability from a disease that can be screened for a birth as part of a comprehensive screening panel allowing life-saving early intervention.

For more information on CARES and CAH, please visit our website at http://www.caresfoundation.org or call 866-277-3737.

CARES Foundation Contact:
Kelly Leight
Kelly@caresfoundation.org
2414 Morris Ave., Suite 110
Union, NJ 07083
Phone: (908) 364-0272
Toll-free: (866) 227-3737
Fax: (908) 686-2019
URL: www.caresfoundation.org

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